Intercer Adventist News

Closer To Heaven
You are here: Home / Archives for the bible says

The Key to Power

By

Photo: Nick Benjaminsz

I’d been having trouble with my 13-year-old car. A sympathetic person loaned me his car while mine was being repaired. While driving it, I stopped at a store to pick up a few things. On my way back to the car, I reached into my pocket for the key. It wasn’t there. I searched all my pockets. I looked in my shopping bags. No key. I stood there, looking at this big, beautiful, borrowed car. Here was a $40,000 vehicle, with plenty of gas in the tank, lots of horsepower under the hood, just waiting to take me anywhere I wanted to go. But it was useless. No power without the key.

I had to have that key. And I knew that Jesus knew where it was. So I prayed, and asked Jesus for the key. I felt impressed to go back to the store. The lady in customer service handed me the key. With that key, I unlocked the car and unleashed all its power.

There’s also power available to us in our everyday life. The Bible says, “As we know Jesus better, His divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3. NLT).

Unlock the Power

But in order to unlock this power, we need the key. Where’s the key? Jesus has it. Jesus has the master keys. Jesus says, “See these keys in My hand? They open and lock Death’s door, they open and lock Hell’s gates” (Revelation 1:18, The Message). So we need to go to the Man who carries the keys—the master keys to every problem in life.

But don’t overlook and forget to use the one simple key Jesus has given you and everyone else. I’m talking about prayer. Jesus says, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer” (Matthew 21:22, NLT). Prayer is the key in your hand of faith that will unlock the storehouse of heaven. In that storehouse, you’ll find Jesus, and the keys to everything you need. Just use your key. It isn’t lost. It’s right there in your hand.

Respond to this article
______________________________

By Bob DuBose. Copyright © 2006 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW LIVING TRANSLATION © and THE MESSAGE ®.

Read more at the source: The Key to Power

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Bible Says.

Just Ask

By

Empty ice cream cones
Photo: Lotus Head

It was Saturday night. I was sitting alone in our family’s car, watching the people walking by. I was six years old, and broke. My parents were migrant workers, and didn’t have money to give away. Our car was parked in front of an old-fashioned ice cream soda shop. As I watched the people coming out with their frozen delights, it was more than I could take. I needed some money. When Dad and Mom said “No,” there had to be some other way.

I saw a man coming up the sidewalk, holding his little girl’s hand. When I asked him for some money, he gave me enough to buy two ice cream cones. That was easy enough. All I did was ask.

The Bible says we can come to God and ask. Ask in the faith of a child. “Ask, and you will receive” (Matthew 7:7, NLT). You don’t have to go on a long trip to get answers. Or pay someone. God knows your heart’s desires before you ask. And God’s just waiting for you to ask for His blessings. But you have to ask. In fact, the Bible says, “You do not have because you do not ask” (James 4:2, NKJV).

God says, “If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him” (Matthew 7:11, NLT).

God Doesn’t Play Favorites

I’m not saying that God is like some heavenly Santa Claus. God loves you too much to give you everything you ask for, or something that wouldn’t be best for you, or cause you problems later on. Your happiness is very important to God.

Some people think that God has favorites and that He doesn’t love everyone the same. No way. The Bible says, “Everyone who asks will receive” (Matthew 7:8, NLT). All you need to do is ask in faith .God says, “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?” (Matthew 7:9, NLT). Asking in faith means we trust God to do the right thing.

Of course, there are conditions. We have to ask according to God’s will. “Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10, NKJV).

Also, “we will receive whatever we request because we obey him and do the things that please him. (1 John 3:22, NLT).

Is there a longing in your heart for God’s blessings today? Just ask.

Respond to this article
______________________________

By Bob DuBose. Copyright © 2006 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the New Living Translation © copyright 1996 and NEW KING JAMES VERSION © 1982.

Read more at the source: Just Ask

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Bible Says.

Friends with God

By

Photo: Christopher Bruno

If you aren’t a Christian, you may have asked yourself, “Why should I be a Christian?” You may wonder what it is about Christianity that causes so many people to “join up.” One benefit that Miguel Valdivia sees is that:

Christians Are Friends With God

The world is a marketplace, not only of consumer goods and living standards, but also of ideas. Ideologies drive wars and economies. They impact history and help shape our individual lives. Most of us have a primary ideology by which we live. I have chosen Christianity, and here are some of the basic spiritual truths I’ve discovered.

1. God is good. A careful reading of the Bible shows that God is involved in a cosmic  confrontation with an enemy who wants to harm you and me, and one of the ways he does that best is by getting us involved in doing bad things—what we call sin. The Bible says that “the wages of sin is death.” 1 But God doesn’t want us to die, so He came up with a plan to rescue us: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” 2

2. God has a purpose for our lives. God has an eternal plan of salvation for humanity as a whole and for each of us as individuals. The biblical God is a personal God. He pleads, “My son [my daughter], give me your heart and let your eyes keep to my ways.” 3 The Holy Spirit has been promised to guide us and teach us God’s saving truths: “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.” 4

3. God wants to free us from guilt. One of Christianity’s greatest gifts is God’s free offer of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. An Old Testament prophet expressed God’s offer: “ ‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’ ” 5 The New Testament tells us this renewal is possible through Christ’s sacrifice. “In him [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according with the riches of God’s grace.” 6

4. God wants to be our Friend. The Bible teaches that God is not distant or disinterested in our affairs. He wants to be our Friend! Jesus said, “I have called you friends.” 7 Life isn’t perfect, but knowing we have a Friend in high places can help us to walk through life’s darkest passages without fear.

1 Romans 6:23. 2 John 3:16. 3 Proverbs 23:26. 4 John 16:13. 5 Isaiah 1:18. 6 Ephesians 1:7. 7 John 15:15.

Respond to this article
______________________________

Miguel Valdivia is the managing editor of Signs of the Times ®. He writes from Nampa, Idaho. Reprinted with Permission. Copyright © 2015 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.

Read more at the source: Friends with God

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Bible Says.

The Mighty Wind

By

Photo: iStock

I was startled in my hotel room by an unusual noise that I didn’t recognize and so I crept to the window to take a peek. Looking out of my third story window, I noticed that the flag pole was flexing like a reed in a storm, and the flag was flapping violently. I got dressed and made my way down to the hotel lobby where I met the manager helplessly watching through the front window.

The park bench in the breezeway toppled over, and the potted shrubs that lined the front of the entrance skittered here and there across the parking lot. This wind was stronger than anything that I had ever encountered, and I learned later that sudden gusts of 80 mph had been tabulated in many areas that evening. I never saw the wind that night, but I witnessed its effects as I watched the tangible evidence that it was rushing through.

Later, as I reflected on that blustery experience, I was reminded of an analogy that Jesus brought to a Pharisee named Nicodemus. This man was a genuine seeker of truth, but was having difficulty in wrapping his thoughts around heavenly things. He sought Christ in the darkness of night, and as he struggled to understand, Jesus explained the experience that one has when the Holy Spirit is at work in their life.

The Wind and the Spirit

“Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:6-8).

When the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives something tangible and miraculous takes place. This invisible presence visibly affects who we are, the choices that we make, and who we become if we allow it to blow through our lives. The effect can be quite startling, not only to us, but to the world that watches. Positive changes occur in our spiritual experience when the invisible Spirit wind blows.

Respond to this article
______________________________

By Michael Temple. Copyright © 2015 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.

Read more at the source: The Mighty Wind

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Bible Says.

Party Line

By

Photo: iStock

When I was six years old, my parents had a telephone installed in our home for the first time. We resided in a very rural area, so a telephone was a luxury that we had never experienced before. Because private telephone lines were expensive, my parents opted for an option that kept us on the same cable as four other families.

The option was called a “party line,” and it was anything but a party! In order to make a phone call, the line had to be clear of other callers, and there was only one way that we knew of to check; pick up the receiver and listen in. If we heard talking, we simply hung up, waited a few minutes, and checked again.

It was the common practice of many people in those days to listen in on the telephone conversations of other neighbors, and thus learn more about their lives. It started many rumors in our area, and on more than one occasion I can recall a neighbor sharing a juicy tidbit that they had heard on the “party-line” while listening in, and whoever chose to listen, got an “ear full!”

Watch Your Tongue

Party lines are a thing of the past, but sadly, the issue of gossip is not. We have choices to make when it comes to sharing and receiving tales about other’s lives, and the scriptures call us to choose wisely.

“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies” (Psalm 34:13, NIV).

“The gossip of bad people gets them in trouble, the conversation of good people keeps them out of it” (Proverbs 12:13, Message/Remix).

God calls us to choose to speak only good words about others, and when we encounter someone who is trashing another person’s character, motives, or qualities, we have the same option of doing what we did when we were on the party line; “disconnecting” and choosing not to listen. With God’s help, we can maintain a “private line.”

Respond to this article
______________________________

By Michael Temple. Copyright © 2015 by GraceNotes. All rights reserved. Use of this material is subject to usage guidelines. Scripture taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ® and THE MESSAGE / REMIX ®.

Read more at the source: Party Line

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Bible Says.

About Intercer

Intercer is a website with biblical materials in Romanian, English, Hungarian and other languages. We want to bring the light from God's Word to peoples homes. Intercer provides quality Christian resources...[Read More]

Lucian Web Service


Intercer is proudly sponsored by Lucian Web Service - Professional Web Services, Wordpress Websites, Marketing and Affiliate Info. Lucian worked as a subcontractor with Simpleupdates, being one of the programmers for the Adventist Church Connect software. He also presented ACC/ASC workshops... [read more]

Archives

Categories